


Human Things

by thebest_medicine



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Tickling, past Rose/Pearl, ticklish!Pearl, ticklish!steven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4919125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebest_medicine/pseuds/thebest_medicine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Gems aren’t….affected by human things as trivial as that. We can feel pain, sure, but we don’t… Tickle.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human Things

“Wait- wait! I’m happy now, see?” Steven stretched his mouth into a wide, insincere grin.

“Come on, Steven, you know I don’t buy that!” Connie smirked, wiggling her fingers toward him, “I’m gonna cheer you up, and you can’t stop me!”

Steven scooted back until he cornered himself by the foot of the bed and the wall. He gulped dramatically, sweat dripping down the side of his face, eyes scanning for a way out. The amount of adrenaline coursing through him rivaled that of the times he was battling bad gem creatures.

“It’s not right of me to sit by and let you be sad just because Toast got stood up on his first date since he and Butter broke up!” Connie consoled, referencing the newest Crying Breakfast Friends episode that had been released.

“I’m not- I’m not sad!” Steven insisted, still trying to wipe away the remaining tears in his eyes despite the nervousness that Connie had brought upon him.

Connie shook her head, whooping out a war cry before lunging, attacking with lightning-quick pokes and jabs, intermixed with some devastating spider tickles when a weak spot opened up in Steven’s defenses.

Steven howled with laughter, slumping over and aimlessly batting at Connie’s hands, “Please- nohohoho! Wahahait I’m too-hoohoo ticklish! Hehe-wait plehehehe- Connihihihie!”

“Do you feel better?” Connie squinted her eyes, zeroing in on his bad spots (basically, everywhere) with her tongue just poking out of the side of her mouth in demonstration of her focus.

“I’m hahahappy I prohohomise!” Steven squeaked, flailing helplessly on the floor as his part-best friend part-trained knight took him apart.

“What are you kids doing?” Connie and Steven could practically hear the exasperation in Pearl’s voice.

“Pehehearl! Hehelp!” Steven cried.

Immediately, Pearl was up in his loft, ready to draw her weapon.

She faltered at the sight of Connie hunched over a flailing Steven who was giggling hysterically as she poked at him.

“With what do you need my assistance?” Pearl hesitated.

“Shehehe- make her stehehehe-stahaha!” Steven cried until finally Connie relented, cracking her knuckles and smirking before helping Steven to his feet.

“Sorry if we were being too loud. Steven was sad about the mid-season finale of Crying Breakfast Friends so I wanted to cheer him up!” Connie shrugged.

“Oh, yes.” Pearl blinked, standing down, “I see.”

“Are gems ticklish too?” Steven asked, “Or is that all from my dad?”

“Well, you’re so ticklish Steven I think you would’ve had to have gotten it from your mom AND dad.” Connie giggled.

“Gems aren’t….affected by human things as trivial as that. We can feel pain, certainly, but we don’t… Tickle.” Pearl replied a bit awkwardly.

“What are you talkin’ about, P?” Amethyst’s grin could be heard just from her tone as she hopped up the stairs, “Tickling isn’t just some human phenomenon, at least not when we’re in physical forms!”

Pearl blushed, glaring at Amethyst.

“Are you ticklish??” Steven exclaimed, feeling that it could be fun to try getting the jump on one of the gems.

“NO.” Pearl answered abruptly.

“Come on, Pearl.” Amethyst sing-songed.

“No way, don’t you touch me, you-” Pearl backed up to the edge of the loft, jumping to the floor below, “Don’t you come near me…” She back-stepped further, right into something hard.

Pearl spun around, startled, only to see Garnet looking down at her, “You know, Pearl, we really shouldn’t lie to Steven.” She had a small grin on her lips and Pearl felt herself shrinking.

Amethyst appeared right behind her and Pearl felt her pulse ramp up as she searched for means of escape.

Meanwhile, Steven and Connie had clamored down the stairs to observe the spectacle.

“I- wait a second- you both… This isn’t fair.” Pearl whined, shoulders slumping as she realized there was no plausible way out now.

Fingers wiggled into her sides and Pearl squealed before collapsing back, falling against Amethyst who had snuck scribbling fingers into her sensitive skin.

Garnet grinned, wiggling her fingers forward as well and poking them into Pearl’s tummy and against her neck. Pearl cackled, twisting and squirming against both of them but trapped just between them.

Steven was giggling at the bottom of the staircase, tugging on Connie’s sleeve as if to reassure them both that they were actually witnessing this.

Pearl ended up squirming to the floor while Garnet and Amethyst laughed and tickled her until nearly her whole face was blue and she was wheezing from laughter.

“Okay- okahahahay I’m sorry I dihihihidn’t mean to lie to Steheven I just dihihihidn’t want him to brihihing it up!” Pearl giggled.

“Aw, why not, P?” Amethyst cooed.

“Because yohohohou would do this!” Pearl retorted.

Garnet finally pulled back, hands fixed next to each of Pearl’s sides as to keep her from getting up or getting away, “You didn’t used to mind so much.” Garnet reminded her.

“But that was….” Pearl sighed, turning away from her and Amethyst with another slight blush.

“P…” Amethyst sighed, running her hands through Pearl’s hair soothingly.

It had been ages since Pearl had been tickled, well, it had been at least since Rose had gone. She or Amethyst was usually the one who instigated gem tickle fights, after they found out about tickling from Greg and observing other humans, but those times were always fun and silly, and it really reminded her of how much she missed Rose.

“I just…. Miss her.” Pearl sighed, leaning into Amethyst’s touch, “It feels so…human. To feel like this all the time.”

“Being human isn’t such a bad thing, you know.” Connie spoke up.

“Yes, I guess you’re right.” Pearl sighed.

Garnet waved Steven and Connie over as they moved to the couch, Pearl snug in the middle as the other four piled around her, swarming her with love and affection and comfort. Pearl felt tears forming in her eyes, not out of sadness, but with surprise and happiness at how much her friends- her family cared about her. A few pokes or tickles were thrown in on occasion as they stayed that way talking and joking and telling stories for a few hours. It felt good to bring back old memories in a happy light.


End file.
